Charmed: Legacy
by Krista Akire
Summary: Hermione Granger always silently wondered why she had magic in the first place, being Muggle-born. When the truth comes out about her birth parents, she must find a way to reconcile her origins with her current life. There's a reason why this Muggle-born is the brightest witch of her age.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_February 14, 1989_

Prue Halliwell was a Sophomore at UCLA studying Art History with a minor in Photography when she met Alan Davis. He was handsome, with dark hair and hazel eyes. Alan was a History major with an emphasis on European history. They had a lot to talk about and would often spend hours at a time debating the significance of art in the history of the world.

Prue was the happiest she had ever been, and she could easily envision a future for herself with Alan. Two weeks after Valentine's day, however, Prue discovered she was pregnant. Alan was over the moon, and he proposed to Prue. Prue said yes, and they began planning their future.

Prue knew she was going to have to tell her grams and her sisters about Alan and the baby, but she's reluctant to face her Grandmother's disappointment about her unplanned pregnancy. However, she knew it was inevitable, and so she planned to make a weekend trip to San Francisco in three weeks to tell them.

Before Prue could make the trip to tell her family about Alan and the baby, her professors started to pile on the work and Prue finally resigned herself to telling them when she went home for the summer.

As the time flew by, however, telling her family became harder to do, so she decided not to. Prue stayed in Los Angeles for the summer, telling her Grams she had a summer internship with a local museum to keep the older woman from worrying.

In reality, Prue was too happy with Alan to risk her Grams souring it with her distrust of men. So, Prue went about her life with Alan, planning a wedding for just before the baby was due.

A month before the wedding, Alan was coming home from class when he was struck and killed by a drunk driver. The shock of the news caused Prue to go into labor a month early, and in late September, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. The labor was intense and difficult, and Prue passed out just after her daughter entered the world.

When Prue regained consciousness, she had been moved to a private room, and a solemn-looking doctor informed her that her baby had been stillborn. The double devastation of losing both Alan and their baby within days of each other caused Prue to spiral into depression.

She even contemplated suicide before she came to her senses and decided to live. Prue locked her heart away after that day and vowed to never open it up to that kind of pain.

Prue finished her education and used her degree in Art History to land a job with a museum in San Francisco to be closer to her family. She never told anyone about Alan and the baby she never got to name. Prue moved on with her life as best she could, and after a few years of working at the museum, she met Roger.

Doctor Jeremy Cramer sat at his desk with a small smile on his face. He had just finished checking his bank account and the funds for his latest "delivery" had been deposited. Jeremy was an OB/GYN who had managed to tap into a lucrative side venture.

Jeremy had managed to build a nice little nest egg for himself by selling newborns to desperate couples. He didn't do it often, only when he had a patient who was young and malleable. He chose young mothers who could be convinced to either give their baby up for adoption or that the infant had died in childbirth.

Jeremy's conscience was eased somewhat by the money he was paid for procuring the infants. He kept meticulous records of each infant he sold but once they were 'adopted,' he lost track of them.

Suddenly, the door to his office was kicked in, and the room was flooded by federal agents. Doctor Jeremy Cramer was arrested for human trafficking and taken into custody.

When the Feds went through his records, they discovered over 200 babies that were sold into black market adoptions. A handful of those were adopted by foreign clients all over the world. The middle man lawyer who facilitated the adoptions was also arrested and had flipped on the doctor for a deal.

After three decades of selling babies to the highest bidder, the operation was shut down and the lawyer wound up in prison for over 25 years, the doctor getting a life sentence.


	2. Revelations

**AN: I had planned to update once a week but I am going out of town for the weekend so you get this next chapter a day early. Hope it meets expectations. I will try to write more this weekend in my downtime but if I can't there is still a few installments written and ready to post each week. Suggestions will be taken into consideration but since a big chunk of this story is already written, they might not make it into future chapters. Unless it's a really good idea I didn't think of...then I will credit the person who suggested it. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_July 2003 London, England_

Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age, was home for the summer after her third year at Hogwarts and she was already bored. She had read all the books on her list for her fourth year already and had already procured her supplies. Her parents worked all day then spent the evenings either reading or watching television. It wasn't exactly the action-packed time she had grown accustomed to since she had been told she was a witch three years ago.

Still, sometimes boring was better than life-threatening. In two weeks, she was due to be picked up by Arthur Weasley to travel to the Burrow for the rest of the summer. Hermione had been invited by the Weasleys to attend the Quidditch World Cup and despite not being overly into the sport, she couldn't turn down an opportunity to have a good time with her friends.

Hermione was in her bedroom listening to the muggle radio while she still had access to one before she left for the Burrow when there was a knock on her door. Hermione turned to the door and said, "come in."

Her mother walked in and took a moment to smile at the sight of her daughter lying on her bed just listening to music and being a teenager. After a moment she said, "Hermione, dear, would you mind coming downstairs? There are some people here who would like to speak with you."

"Yes, Mum." Hermione turned off her radio and got up off her bed. She followed her mother downstairs, curious as to who she would find when she got there.

Emily Granger led her daughter into the parlor where the people were waiting for them. She didn't like what was about to happen, but she knew she had little choice in the matter and could only hope for a good outcome.

Hermione entered the parlor and looked around at the people sitting on the couches with mugs of tea in front of them. In the far corner of the room sat Professor McGonagall, looking serious but with a hint of curiosity and sympathy. On the couch nearest her were three men dressed in generic looking dark suits, their ties neatly done and their faces sporting slight frowns. Hermione's eyes drifted to the last occupant in the room, her father and she smiled at him, wearing his usual weekend attire of brown slacks, white shirt, and argyle cardigan.

Hermione turned to her mother, "what's going on mum?"

Emily Granger motioned to the man closest to her and said, "tell her."

One of the men in dark suits cleared his throat and said, "Miss Granger, my name is Inspector Lionel Carter from Scotland Yard and this gentleman is Special Agent William Davis with the FBI in America and with him is Inspector Darryl Morris of the San Francisco Police Department in California."

Hermione was polite but still curious about why they were at her house. "Nice to meet you all. Why are you here though?"

Inspector Carter shifted in his seat as he said, "we're here because—"

Emily cut in then and said, "Hermione, dear, do you remember when you got your letter three years ago and you wondered how it was that you had magic, but we did not?"

Hermione's eyes widened as her mother just outed the existence of magic to these obvious muggles. "Mother!"

At this point, Professor McGonagall spoke up, "don't worry Miss Granger, any knowledge of our kind will be removed at the conclusion of this meeting."

Hermione calmed down a bit at that then turned to her mother, trusting Professor McGonagall would fix it all. "I remember. That's when you told me I was adopted but what does that have to do with this?"

"They are here because of your adoption and your... birth parents." It was the hardest thing Emily had ever done to admit to her daughter that she was adopted but now, knowing there was a chance she could truly lose Hermione she was terrified but determined to fight for her family.

Inspector Morris spoke up then. "Miss Granger, six months ago, a joint task force of SFPD and the FBI arrested 2 men in connection with a black-market adoption ring. When we went through the records they kept, we began to track down the babies they had sold to these adoption agencies and the birth parents. Some had been coerced or convinced to give their babies up, others were told the child died after birth. Either way, we've managed to track down most of the parents and babies. Since the adoptions weren't legal, things can get sticky really fast. Among the records, was one for a baby girl born in 1989 whose birth mother was told the baby had been stillborn. We determined that the baby was…you. After an extensive investigation, it was concluded that your adoption, while technically legal, was also made under false pretenses. We're here to inform you and your adoptive parents of your birth mother's identity and contact information for her family should you wish to contact any of them."

Hermione was in shock. This couldn't be happening. She had finally come to terms with being adopted but now there was a chance she could be ripped away from her parents and sent to a stranger whom she didn't know just because she was her birth mother?

Hermione looked down as she began pacing the room trying to process what she was being told. After a few moments, her intellect and logic began to reassert themselves and she took a deep breath before stopping in front of the police officers and asked, "Alright, so what happens now?"

The three men looked at each other for a moment before, by silent agreement, Inspector Morris spoke up, "Miss Granger, one of the reasons I was allowed to accompany the FBI and Scotland Yard on this trip is because I…have a personal history with your birth mother and her family. They are friends of mine and I would love nothing more than to bring you with me to California to meet them. But that isn't my decision to make." Darryl hoped he wasn't revealing too much but he couldn't help it.

Standing in front of him was the long-lost daughter of one of his closest friends…Prue Halliwell and Darryl would do anything he could to see to it that Piper and Phoebe got to meet their niece. That they got back this last piece of their dead sister.

Hermione looked at her parents and asked, "Would that be alright with you? If I traveled to America to meet my birth mother and her family?"

Emily Granger turned to her husband and noticed the sadness in his eyes. This was hurting him as much as it was hurting her but they both knew they couldn't deny their daughter this chance to connect with her roots. "If that is what you want to do Hermione, we will support you."

Darryl felt the need to clarify something before any more decisions were made, "Hermione, there's something else. Your birth mother, her name was Prue Halliwell and, unfortunately, she died about three years ago. She left behind three sisters who I know would love to meet you and tell you all about her."

Hermione nodded then turned to the Inspector from Scotland Yard, "I will go with Inspector Morris to America for a _brief_ trip to meet my birth family, however, since it would seem that I am now officially an orphan, I would like it if the Grangers were allowed to legally adopt me…again."

Inspector Carter smiled, "That can be arranged."

After another hour of discussions, it was settled that Hermione would leave for America, on a special Visa for the remainder of the summer. Darryl pulled the older lady who had introduced herself as Professor McGonagall aside and explained to her that he knew about magic because Hermione's family were witches and that they trusted him to keep the secret, she agreed to only alter the memories of the other two police officers.

After that, they all left, and Hermione sent a letter to Mr. Weasley by owl informing him that she had a family emergency and would not be joining them for the Quidditch World Cup. He quickly responded back that he wished her well and would most likely see her at the train station. He also told her if there was anything she needed from them, to just ask.

That evening, Hermione and her parents enjoyed a quiet evening at home, their time together being even more special in light of recent revelations.

As Hermione settled into her bed that evening, she thought about the new twist her life had taken and she idly wondered if she would like her birth mother's family, and she also silently wished she had known about her birth mother before she had died. Hopefully, her sisters could answer the many questions she was sure would materialize once she had some real time to think.


	3. Questions and Answers

**AN: In case it wasn't made clear, this story won't be following canon too much. As such, the events of the Season 5 finale (Oh My Goddess) never happened here. No Titans, no Gods, and DEFINITELY NO CHRIS! I am sorry but I never liked him. Grown-up Chris was shady as hell. Leo also isn't an elder and the events of the Season 6 Premiere haven't happened yet. This is starting out in the summertime between seasons. Also, I hope I got the sisters more or less accurate here. Let me know.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

A week later, on the flight from England to California, Hermione sat next to Inspector Morris and tried to relax. She wasn't a fan of flying but she had to admit that at least she wasn't at the mercy of a flimsy broom this time. Still, it wasn't her favorite mode of travel.

Once they were in the air, Hermione turned to Inspector Morris and said, "Inspector Morris?"

Darryl turned to the young girl sitting next to him and smiled, hoping to ease her nerves, "please, call me Darryl."

Hermione hesitated, her upbringing reminding her that using an adult's first name was disrespectful but then again, he had given her permission so she figured it would be alright this time. "Ok, Darryl, what was my birth mother like?"

Darryl smiled again but this time at the memory of Prue. "Prue was…one of the strongest, bravest women I've ever met. She was stubborn and smart and had a bad habit of usually being right. She was the oldest of the Halliwell sisters and Piper and Phoebe looked up to her and loved her very much. She was devoted to her family, there was nothing she wouldn't do for them."

Hermione took that in, thinking that if Prue had gone to Hogwarts she would've either been sorted into Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. It was a comforting fact to know she apparently had inherited some traits from her. "She sounds remarkable. I wish I could've known her."

"Me too," Darryl said, his voice pitched low. He knew a crowded airplane was not the place to discuss Prue and the sisters' magical side, but he had seen them produce the spirit of their dead grandmother a time or two and hoped they might do the same for Hermione with Prue. "But, Piper and Phoebe knew her the best and I'm sure they would love nothing more than to tell you everything and anything about her."

Hermione smiled at that, having never had any aunts or uncles before since both parents were only children. This was going to be a whole new experience for her, and she was looking forward to it. "Wait, you said the other day that Prue left behind three sisters, but you've only mentioned two."

Darryl grinned, "yeah…that's a little more complicated but the edited version is that at the time of her death, Prue only knew of the two sisters she had grown up with, Piper and Phoebe. After Prue's death, it was discovered that their mother had had an affair with…one of her co-workers and had gotten pregnant. Their mother gave the baby up for adoption, the details of which are something the sisters will have to tell you about as it's not my secret to tell. But they soon found their other sister, Paige and after a few bumps in the road, managed to bring her into the family. These days, it's like she was always there, but she never knew Prue."

The rest of the flight was spent with intermittent conversation, mostly about what Darryl knew about Prue and her sisters but also about Hermione's life both before and after Hogwarts (which was referred to only as the boarding school she attended in Scotland). Hermione learned quickly that Darryl knew about magic and was also able to speak in coded terms to protect the secret of it. Hermione soon grew to trust the man and she was hoping this wouldn't be the last she saw of him after she left for Hogwarts at the end of the summer.

* * *

After they landed and made it through customs, Darryl led Hermione to the long-term parking lot where he had left his car. He didn't want to have to take a cab from the airport as it wouldn't provide much privacy on the way to the Halliwell house.

The drive was quiet as Hermione took the time to look out the window at the landscapes flying by her as Darryl drove them to her Aunts' house. Hermione was trying to mentally prepare herself for the upcoming meeting. She was still a bit wary of meeting these total strangers who had known the birth mother whose identity she had only recently discovered.

Despite learning three years ago that she was adopted, Hermione had never felt a need to search out her birth parents. It had never been a priority for her, especially after learning about Hogwarts and having the many adventures she'd had there with Harry and Ron. They became her brothers in a sense and they were all the extra family she needed. But now, there were others who could claim familial status, if only by blood. Hermione took the drive to prepare herself for the meeting, knowing that one way or another, her life was about to change forever.

* * *

Paige Matthews and Phoebe Halliwell sat in the living room at the manor watching their older sister Piper, pacing the room. They had been contacted by Darryl about a week ago to tell them he was bringing someone back with him from England that they would want to meet. The very cryptic missive was met by questions that he refused to answer until he was back in California. Now, they were waiting for him to arrive after getting a quick call from him that he was on his way to the manor.

Paige, not having known Darryl as long as the others had, was silently hoping it wasn't anything bad. She didn't want to have to face anything evil for a while longer.

Phoebe was actually pretty calm. She had had a premonition after hanging up the phone with Darryl and had seen him in a car with a teenage girl. She looked harmless enough, so Phoebe wasn't worried. She didn't tell her sisters because she wasn't sure it would do any good. Piper would stress out regardless of anything she said, and Paige would quickly go on the defensive and refuse to trust anything Darryl said so Phoebe decided to let them be surprised and hopefully it would make this meeting go smoothly.

Piper was worried about why Darryl was bringing someone to meet them. She was hoping it wasn't some innocent he wanted them to help, they had enough to worry about here in California without importing innocents from Europe.

Piper turned to Phoebe, "Did Darryl say anything else when you talked to him? Like who this person was or why he wanted us to meet them?"

Phoebe looked away for a moment, "nope. Just that he was on his way here from the airport and to make sure we were all here."

Piper nodded, "okay."

The sisters fell into silence for a few moments, each lost in her own thoughts again. They were brought back to the present by the doorbell. Piper, being the only one standing up, turned and went to answer the door.

Darryl stood on the small front porch of the Halliwell residence, hoping this meeting would go well. A small part of him saw this as giving the sisters a small piece of Prue back and he hoped they would see it that way as well.

Hermione stood off to the side of the door, trying to calm the nerves that sprang back up now that she was actually standing on the front step of her birth mother's house.

When the door opened, Darryl smiled at the dark-haired woman Hermione saw in the doorway. There was something almost familiar about this woman, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Darryl smiled at Piper and said, "Hey Piper, can we come in?"

Piper looked from Darryl to the teenaged girl standing next to him. She caught her eye and, at that moment, Piper felt something pass through her and she tilted her head as she studied the girl. After a few moments, Piper nodded and stepped aside, "sure, come on in."

Darryl motioned for Hermione to go in ahead of him and he closed the door behind him. Piper led them into the living room and Darryl smiled again at the other two sisters.

Phoebe and Paige stood up and faced Darryl and the young girl with him with curious eyes.

Darryl stood in the entryway to the living room with Hermione standing next to him. He cleared his throat and said, "hey ladies. Thanks for being here, I promise it will be worth it." Darryl turned to Piper first, as the oldest, and directed this next part to her primarily. "So, um, a little while back, I was chosen for a joint task force with the FBI to take down a shady doctor and lawyer team that was selling newborns on the black market. Well, we finally got the evidence we needed and we raided both men's offices and arrests were made and records were thoroughly combed through and…we found something that might interest all of you." Darryl paused here to glance at Hermione as if to ask if she was ready and the young girl nodded.

Darryl looked back at the sisters and said, "this is Hermione Granger from England…though she was born here in California. This is going to come as a shock but…Hermione is…Prue's daughter."

There was a shocked silence that fell over the room as the sisters tried to process what Darryl was saying. Piper was the first to recover and she said, "no. That's not possible. Prue never had a kid. We would know if Prue had a daughter Darryl!" Piper's voice raised a bit at the end as her ever-present grief over Prue bubbled up to the surface. "No there's been a mistake."

Phoebe was similarly hesitant to accept what Darryl was saying though she remained silent for the time being. She was thinking back to all her interactions with Prue since they started living together again and she couldn't recall a single instance where Prue seemed open to even the idea of being a mom…unless you counted that time they went back to the past and met their younger selves. Phoebe had to admit if only to herself, that Prue seemed almost maternal with her younger self, and little Piper as well. At the time, Phoebe had chalked it up to her being the oldest but now…maybe?

Paige, having never known Prue, was looking at the young girl and trying to see any resemblance to the pictures of Prue she saw around the manor. There was something in the eyes but nothing obvious.

Darryl sighed, "Trust me, ladies. I personally triple checked all the records and the DNA tests…Hermione is Prue's daughter. This is real."

Hermione watched the three women who were her aunts for their reactions. She couldn't say she blamed them really, it was a bit incredible. Their dead sister had kept a secret this big from them and now they were being confronted with the reality of it. She knew it would take them some time to accept it. In the meantime, she turned to Darryl, "Do you think they would let me use their loo?"

Darryl looked to Piper with a questioning look.

Piper caught it and turned to Paige, "Yeah um, Paige can you show our guest to the bathroom?"

Paige nodded, realizing Piper might need to talk to Darryl without the girl around. "Sure. Follow me, Hermione, right?"

Hermione nodded, "yes ma'am." Her manners kicked in and she reverted to them to cover her nerves.

Paige frowned, "cut the ma'am stuff. I'm not that old. Just call me Paige. Come on." Paige led the way and Hermione followed her to the bathroom.

Once they were out of the room, Piper turned to Darryl, "Ok this isn't funny Darryl. Drop the act and tell me who this girl really is."

"She really and truly is Prue's daughter. Near as I could piece together from the records the doctor kept, Prue was 19 and a sophomore at UCLA when she came into the hospital in labor. There seems to be spotty pre-natal care, but she delivered a healthy baby girl—that girl—but she was told the baby was stillborn. The doctor sent her home and then sold the baby to a shady lawyer who then drew up phony adoption papers for people desperate for a baby. The couple that initially adopted the baby were named Travers. They died in a car accident on their way home from the theater and the baby went into the legitimate adoption service in England where the couple was living at the time. She was then adopted by The Grangers who have been raising her ever since. Piper, they didn't know they were adopting a stolen baby, but that act invalidates the adoption. Now, Hermione managed to secure a promise from the British authorities that the Grangers be allowed to legally adopt her now that she is an orphan, but she wanted to come and meet her birth mother's family."

Phoebe was listening to the story and felt tears in her eyes. All this time, they could've had a niece to spoil and because of a greedy doctor, they lost that chance. "So…she's Prue's daughter? Does she have…magic? Does she even know about us being witches?"

Darryl smiled, "She knows. She has magic Phoebe, in fact, she's been attending a school for magic in Scotland for the last three years."

Phoebe grinned widely, "She's a witch? That is so cool! Did she get any of Prue's powers?"

Piper had heard enough, "Okay, that's it. I am done listening to this. I am going to get to the bottom of this once and for all." Piper turned around and began jogging up the stairs to the attic.

Phoebe moved to follow when Paige returned with Hermione. Phoebe turned to look at Hermione and Paige and said, "Piper just ran upstairs, I think I know why. Bring Hermione and follow me." Phoebe followed Piper up the stairs and into the attic just in time to see Piper place the final crystal on the circular rug in the middle of the room. Phoebe stood in the doorway and looked at Piper. "The last time you tried this, Grams said Prue wasn't ready to see us."

"That was three years ago. This time Prue isn't going to get away with not being ready. She is going to get her spectral ass over here and explain why she never told us she had a kid! Or she will confirm that Darryl is mistaken. Either way, I am getting answers from her once and for all!" Piper was angry now because she was realizing that if Hermione really was Prue's daughter, then Prue had lied to them for over ten years and that was something Piper wasn't going to take lying down.

Phoebe nodded, "okay, sounds like a solid plan. Paige and Hermione are on their way up here too, just in case."

Piper just nodded as she began the incantation to call forth a spirit from the other side. It took three tries before the tell-tale white lights appeared and a spirit materialized in front of them. By this time, Paige and Hermione had joined them and the younger girl was stunned at the level of magic she was witnessing as a spirit materialized. She was used to the ghosts of the castle at Hogwarts, but this seemed different. This spirit looked solid enough to touch and had a smile on her face that warmed something deep inside of her.

Piper faced a smiling Prue and said, "Hiya Prue. It's about time you answered."

Prue just smiled, "Hey Piper. It was kind of hard to ignore the yelling. What's so urgent?"

Phoebe stepped forward and waved, smiling, "hi Prue!"

"Hey, Phoebe. You look happy to see me at least. What's going on?"

Piper took back control of the conversation, "Prue, this way, I am asking the questions." Once she had her sister's attention, Piper said, "yeah, so one question right now. Prue, did you have a baby when you were 19?" Piper cut right to the chase, needing to know the truth.

If it was possible for a ghost to pale, Prue managed it when she heard Piper's question. No one was supposed to know about that, not even her sisters. "Um…why are you asking me that?" Prue tried to stall.

Piper's face hardened, "answer the question Prue, yes or no?"

Prue swallowed then said, "Okay…yes, I did. But—"

"No! No buts! You had a baby and never told us? Did Grams even know?" Piper was feeling betrayed.

"No. No one knew Piper. The baby was stillborn. I left the hospital the next day and tried to move on. I grieved for both my baby and her father, who died right before she was born. I was in a bad place and once I managed to claw my way out of it, I locked it away. I couldn't talk to anyone about it because it would bring me right back to that dark place." Prue paused a moment, "how did you even find out about her?"

Piper shook her head ruefully then pointed towards the door where Paige was standing with Hermione. "She's here Prue. Alive and well and 14 years old if my math is right." Piper motioned for Hermione to come to her, she softened her tone as she spoke to the young girl, "It's okay sweetie, come here and meet your mother."

Hermione walked over to Piper, nervous about what was happening but still eager to meet her mother, even it was in ghost form. When she was standing next to Piper she looked over at the ghost of her mom and smiled when she saw her face. It was the face of the woman she'd been dreaming about on and off since she was 9 years old. "Hello."

Prue stared at the young girl next to Piper and she felt her stomach drop, or rather the remembered sensation of it from when she was alive. Prue studied the girl and could easily see hints of Alan in her eyes and her chin, but her smile was all Prue's. Prue felt a connection to this girl and, with the clarity that often comes with death, she knew instinctively that this was her daughter, her flesh and blood. "Hello."

Piper handled the formal introductions seeing as how Phoebe and Paige were standing in silence letting her run the show. "Prue Halliwell meet your daughter, Hermione Granger. Hermione this is your mother, Prue." Piper stepped back a step to allow them to talk.

Hermione smiled at Prue, "Nice to meet you, though I wish you were still alive."

"Me too." Prue took a breath, "I can't believe you're alive. Though that explains why I didn't find you when I crossed over." Prue's smile as she looked at her daughter was radiant. "Have you had a good life so far?"

Hermione nodded, "yes. My parents are great people and I love them very much. They accepted me being a witch with open arms and even agreed to let me attend Hogwarts when they could've said no. It's why I want them to legally adopt me when I get back home."

Prue understood, "of course, but I do hope you will visit Piper and Phoebe and Paige some more. They can call me anytime you want to talk to me."

"I would like that, there's a lot I want to ask you. But right now, nothing is coming to mind except, if you hadn't been told I was stillborn, would you have kept me?"

Prue paused a moment to think about it before she answered, "yes. Before you were born, your father proposed to me. We were going to get married and raise you together…after I came clean to my family. But…that wasn't meant to be because he was killed by a drunk driver and then I was told you were dead. But yeah, I was looking forward to being your mom. I'm so sorry I never got to be." Prue then looked at Piper and Phoebe, "I'm also so sorry that I never told you guys about her. It was…too painful to think about and it became easier with time to pretend it never happened."

Piper was silent but Phoebe spoke up, "I understand Prue. I'm sorry you had to go through that alone."

Just as Prue was about to say something, she felt a poke in her back and she grinned, "there's someone here who would like a chance to say hello." With that, Prue allowed her circle to expand to include her mom and grams. The two older ladies appeared on either side of Prue with smiles on their faces.

Penny spoke first, "So…this is my great-granddaughter, am I right?"

Piper spoke up, "yup. Grams, this is Hermione. Hermione this is our grandmother Penny Halliwell and that is our mom, Patty Halliwell. Mom, this is your granddaughter Hermione."

Grams took one look at her and waved her arm over her head before she stepped out of the circle and became solid so she could hug the girl.

Hermione felt the hug and automatically returned it. The moment her arms came around the older woman, Hermione felt like she had finally come home. It was a hug that spoke of warmth, comfort, and home.

Grams stepped back and allowed for Patty to step forward and hug Hermione as well and again, Hermione felt warmth and love.

Prue, not wanting to miss this rare opportunity stepped forward and hugged her daughter as well. It had taken Grams' considerable power to allow them all to solidify long enough for hugs.

Once Hermione had hugged all three of them, they stepped back into the circle and just smiled at the young girl.

Both ladies welcomed her to the family, though Grams had to ask, "Why doesn't she have a P name?"

Piper answered, having warmed to the idea of having a niece. "Long story Grams."

Prue spoke up then, "Actually, she sort of does have a P name. Before you were born Hermione, I was thinking of names, trying to stick to the family tradition of names starting with P and I named you Pamela Patricia. But it was never made official."

Grams and Patty looked at each other for a moment then Grams smiled, "I love it. Pamela Patricia."

Hermione smiled, "Well at least it has an easy nickname. Right now, my best friends shorten my name to 'Mione and it gets tiresome."

Grams felt the moment beginning to wane. "Well, we can talk about that more another time. Right now we have to get going, you too Prue. It was a joy to meet you, Hermione Pamela Patricia. Until next time." Grams winked and blew a kiss before she vanished.

Patty shook her head at her mother's dramatics, "she was always a drama queen. Personally, I like to think you got that accent from me. You are so beautiful, Hermione. It was wonderful meeting you." She turned to her daughters, "and it was great seeing you all again. Paige, come say hello to Prue before she leaves. It's about time the two of you met properly." With that, she too vanished in a flurry of white lights.

Paige stepped forward and took a few moments to talk with Prue, the basics of first meetings. After a few moments, Prue turned to Hermione and smiled, "For the record, I have loved you from the moment I found out I was pregnant and I love you still. Until next time my darling girl." She blew her daughter a kiss and waved goodbye to her sisters before she vanished.

The attic seemed to darken a bit when they left, and Hermione was left with the three sisters. "Where's Darryl?"

Paige smiled, "He went home. His wife called him. But not to worry, you're safe here. Family always is."

Piper moved forward, "well, it's still early but what do you say I make dinner and we settle in to get to know each other?"

Hermione nodded, "that sounds good to me."

"Good." Piper stepped closer, "any requests?"

Hermione thought about it then said, "what was Prue's favorite dish?"

Before Piper could answer Phoebe answered, "Chicken Alfredo."

Hermione nodded, "can we have that?"

Piper nodded, "you got it. While I do that, Phoebe, Paige, can you show Hermione where she can put her stuff? She can take the room next to Prue's old room."

With that, the sisters and Hermione left the attic and went about their tasks. Piper went to the kitchen to make sure she had all the ingredients for dinner while Hermione followed the others to the guest bedroom and placed her bag at the foot of the bed. Having lived at Hogwarts most of the year for three years, Hermione was used to sleeping in beds that weren't her own so this wouldn't be too bad.

Paige and Phoebe left Hermione alone for a bit to settle in while they joined Piper in the kitchen. Piper handed Paige a list of ingredients she needed for dinner and sent her to the store. Paige left and Piper was left alone with Phoebe.

Phoebe looked at her sister for a moment before she asked, "so…how are you really doing with this new information about Prue and having a niece we never knew about? Be honest."

Piper took a deep breath, "Honestly? I feel like Prue betrayed us by not telling us when she was pregnant. I know it sounds…silly but, I wish we had known about Hermione before she was born." Piper looked up in the general direction of the guest bedroom and sighed, "we've missed so much of her life. She's not learning about magic from us, about Melinda Warren and the witches that followed her, about the Charmed Ones. Hermione is next generation Charmed but what does that even mean for her? For us? For Wyatt?"

Phoebe nodded with a touch of sadness, "I don't know about all that but, we have a chance now with her. To teach her about all of it, Melinda, being Charmed, magic. She can know it all and we can teach her. Maybe it will even give her a leg up in her classes when she goes back to school. But can I just say, I hope she agrees to come back to see us, even if it's just for a month in the summer? "

"Me too." Piper didn't want to lose Hermione now that they knew about her. It wasn't fair that they couldn't have her with them full time. "We will teach her all of it. And when Leo gets back from his father-son bonding trip with Wyatt, we can ask him what Hermione's charmed heritage means for everyone involved."

Phoebe nodded in agreement. Until then, she was determined to be the best aunt anyone could ask for and maybe, that might help them secure Hermione's future visits to the manor.


	4. Settling In

**AN: Sorry about the long delay. Work got in the way. But here it is. A little on the short side but hopefully, it won't disappoint.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Settling In**

The next morning, Hermione woke up in a strange bedroom. It took her a few moments to remember the events of the previous day, and she gave a small grin as she looked around the room.

She still couldn't believe that she was actually in the house where her birth mother grew up. It was unbelievable to Hermione, mainly because she never would've imagined that her birth mother was an American witch.

Hermione took a moment to think about that and she concluded that the magical abilities she'd inherited from her birth mother were most likely the reason why she had been called 'the brightest witch of her age' by more than one person.

Hermione glanced at the clock on the nightstand and realized it was almost 8 a.m. so she rose from the bed and proceeded to get ready for the day by showering and getting dressed.

The night before, Paige had shown her where everything was as far as extra towels and the bathroom.

* * *

Downstairs in the kitchen, Piper and Phoebe were having coffee and discussing their upcoming day with their newly discovered niece.

"Well, I called the paper and told them I was taking a few days off. As long as I get the column in before Friday, I should be fine. I figured we could take Hermione out sightseeing and maybe even to some of Prue's favorite places," Phoebe said, hoping the Piper wasn't about to rain on her day of playing hooky from work.

Piper grinned and said, "That sounds great Pheebs. But at some point, we're going to have to start telling her about the family, the Charmed heritage…and her powers."

Piper had been thinking about that one all night long. At first, she couldn't understand why Hermione didn't seem to have gotten any of Prue's telekinetic powers but after a lot of thinking, she realized there had always been something missing in Hermione's life and it was about time they rectified that oversight.

Phoebe frowned. "I know you're right but, I mean she'll be here the rest of the summer, can't that wait a day?"

"Can't what wait a day?" The young voice with a British accent floated into the room a half a second before its owner walked into the kitchen. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it."

Piper smiled. "It's okay sweetie. Come on in, let me get you some breakfast. What would you like?"

Hermione smiled. "Just some tea and toast please, I don't really eat much for breakfast."

Though the mom in Piper wanted to protest, she held it back and just nodded as she began to prepare the tea and toast.

Hermione turned to her other aunt, somehow knowing she'd get more answers from her than from Piper who seemed to be the grown-up in the room. "So, what was it you two were talking about before I came in?"

Phoebe shot a look to Piper who simply shrugged, knowing they couldn't lie to the young girl or it could ruin whatever trust they'd managed to build so far.

Phoebe began to explain, "Your…education if you wanna call it that."

"You mean like my time at Hogwarts?"

"Sort of, but it's just…there's a lot that you never learned from us, about where you come from, the witches who came before you that contribute to your magical abilities," Piper said, coming over to the island while the water boiled for the tea.

Hermione took a moment to think about that. It hadn't occurred to her that there might be a whole lineage of witches that she'd descended from. Though now she'd thought about it, it should've been one of the first things she'd asked about when she met them.

Hermione nodded. "Alright, well, where do we begin?" She had always been more comfortable when she was learning something, and this was probably the most important thing she'd learn this summer.

Before Piper could say anything, Phoebe said, "Actually, I was thinking we could leave the history lessons for later or another day and we could take you sightseeing. This is your first time in America, right?"

Although the nerd in Hermione wanted to get right to learning everything she could about her heritage and everything Piper had mentioned, the teenager in her was curious about the world outside the mansion that she'd only glimpsed on the car ride from the airport. "Yes, it is. I think sightseeing is a grand idea, Phoebe."

Phoebe looked over at Piper, grinning, knowing her older sister would give in now that it was two to one. Piper didn't disappoint as she said, "Okay great. Sightseeing it is, let me just clean up here and we can get going."

Hermione turned to Piper and asked, "Can I help?"

Piper smiled at the young girl, "Thanks sweetie, but I got it."

"Okay." Something occurred to Hermione then and she asked, "Where's Paige?"

"Oh, she got called in to work early today, something about a special case. She's a social worker."

Hermione took that in and just nodded silently, but before she could say anything else, there was a tapping at the window. Hermione looked towards the sound and smiled when she spotted a familiar looking white owl. She immediately went to the window and opened it to let the bird inside.

The bird flew in and landed on the back of a nearby chair next to Phoebe, who immediately jumped up and away from the bird. Just as Piper was raising her hands to freeze the bird in a confused panic, Hermione walked up to it and began to stroke its head, murmuring soothingly to calm the bird down.

"Hermione, why is there an owl in my kitchen?" Piper asked, holding off on freezing the bird until she got more information.

Hermione turned to her aunts and noticed they were both apprehensive about Hedwig's presence, so she figured she had better explain. "Sorry, but in the wizarding world, this is how we send letters. Owls are trained to carry letters and sometimes even packages to whomever their owners instruct them to without fail or even needing a proper address sometimes."

The ladies relaxed their stances as they realized the bird wasn't a threat. "Okay, so um, does this mean someone wrote you a letter?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes. This bird belongs to one of my best friends, Harry…though he doesn't usually write to me during the summer vacation." Hermione turned back to Hedwig and found the letter attached to her leg and carefully removed it. She turned to Piper, "You wouldn't happen to have any bits of meat I can give her as a treat, would you?"

Piper thought about that then smiled. "Actually, I think we have some beef jerky, will that do?"

Hermione nodded before looking at the letter.

Phoebe slowly began to walk closer and asked, "Is she…friendly?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes. It's okay, you can come closer, Hedwig doesn't bite, unlike _some_ owls." Hermione scowled briefly, thinking about some of the school owls she's dealt with over the years.

Phoebe stepped closer to the bird and smiled at it. This was the closest she'd been to an owl since Christopher who was cursed to be an owl by day while the love of his life was cursed to be a wolf by night. "Hey there," Phoebe paused a moment to remember the name Hermione told her, "Hedwig."

Hermione grinned at Phoebe's timidity, remembering her own reaction to being so close to an owl for the first time. She turned and took the jerky from Piper and fed some to Hedwig who happily gobbled it up. Hermione opened the letter and quickly scanned it, smiling at Harry's recap of being at the Burrow with the Weasleys and how much he missed hearing her bicker with Ron. They were going to leave in two days for the Quidditch World Cup and he reminded her that if she changed her mind about joining them that Mr. Weasley said the invitation is still open.

"So, what's in the letter?" Piper asked, curious about the smile on Hermione's face. Piper was thinking maybe Harry was more than just a friend to Hermione.

Hermione folded the letter up and said, "Just an update on the friends Harry is staying with. His home life isn't the best so he does his best to leave as soon as he can and stay with Ron's family. Ron is my other best friend. He was also reminding me that I am still welcome to join them if I change my mind."

"Change your mind?"

"Yeah…I didn't really know how to explain this," she gestured to the whole room, as a way of saying everything that had happened since last week, "so I told Ron's dad that I had a family emergency."

"Okay, well…how about you write him back and send Hedwig on her way while Phoebe and I get ready for our day of sightseeing?"

Hermione nodded. "Okay."

Piper handed her some paper and a pen before they left the room to give her some privacy.

Hermione sat down at the table and took a moment to think about what she would write to Harry and Ron, knowing the other boy would no doubt be reading over Harry's shoulder unless Harry read the letter out loud. Finally, she began to write, explaining that she was fine and visiting some distant relatives. She assured them she would see them at the train station in September and told them to enjoy the Quidditch World Cup.

* * *

After Piper and Phoebe were ready, they all set out in Piper's car to see some of the popular tourist spots like Golden Gate Park, Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf among others. They decided to leave touring Alcatraz for another day since it usually takes a few hours to get to the island and back.

All in all, it was a good day as Piper and Phoebe shared memories with Hermione about some of the places they visited, especially if it was somewhere Prue loved to visit, like Fisherman's Wharf.

Hermione soaked in every detail and loved learning more about her birth mom's favorite places. They even took her by the elementary and middle school Prue and the girls attended as well as the high school. Hermione stood in front of the high school for a long moment, trying to picture herself attending the school. After a quick explanation about the educational structure in America, Hermione realized that if she'd been raised by Prue and her aunts, she would be starting high school this year rather than her fourth year of Hogwarts.

Their final stop was one that Hermione requested and as the three of them stood outside of the mausoleum which housed Prue's final resting place, they all felt the weight of the moment. Finally, Hermione walked forward and entered the building. Piper and Phoebe stayed outside, neither sister needed to visit the grave, they didn't need the reminder. Piper especially as she still carried some guilt over the circumstances of Prue's death.

Hermione stepped up to the stone that bore Prue's name, she read the dates and she smiled, realizing the dates lined up with her life. Prue's death had occurred two months before she got her Hogwarts letter, informing her she was a witch. Despite having met Prue's ghost and spoken with her, Hermione still felt a need to see the grave and to say an official hello and goodbye. After a few moments, Hermione said a quiet farewell and left the building, joining her aunts who were patiently waiting outside.

By the time they got home, it was time for dinner, and Paige was in the living room watching television as she waited for them to get home.

Piper made dinner and the four ladies settled at the table to eat and discuss their day, filling Paige in on what she missed. It was the kind of family dinner that Hermione didn't usually get to have with her parents as they worked long hours and were usually quiet at the dinner table as they read patient files or the newspaper. Hermione usually only got to experience family dinners like this at the Burrow, but it wasn't the same. Maybe because as much as she loved the Weasleys…they weren't family. Piper, Phoebe, and even Paige were family. Today made Hermione feel closer to her aunts, and she looked forward to the same bonding experience with Paige before the summer was over.


	5. The Warren Powers

**AN: Hey folks! Sorry about the long delay. This chapter went through a ton of re-writes as I tried to get the tone right and include the elements I wanted to have. There's some foreshadowing but mostly it's just me trying to make sure the character voices are authentic. I hope I got it right this time. Also, my beta vanished on me so this chapter is solely edited by yours truly and Grammarly. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The following week passed quickly as Hermione and her aunts established and settled into a routine of sorts. In the mornings, Piper would spend a few hours with Hermione teaching her about her Charmed heritage, the witches who came before them and the legacy they left behind, starting with Melinda Warren. Hermione soaked it all in, eager to learn everything she could about her heritage and the past that would no doubt inform the rest of her life.

In the afternoon, Phoebe and Paige would take Hermione out to see the sights but also so she could become familiar with the world around them. Hermione enjoyed these outings because they gave her a chance to bond with Paige and Phoebe but also because she was enamored of the warm California weather. Living in England and Scotland didn't really give Hermione a lot of chances to enjoy sunny weather.

Every evening, Hermione called her parents and talked to them for an hour or so before they had to go to work. The time difference meant Hermione was always calling in the mornings before their day began just as hers was winding down. Still, they never complained, simply grateful Hermione wasn't forgetting about them in her new world. In some ways, this was worse than when she went away to Hogwarts. At least there, it was just a school, no family ties, nothing to threaten their place in her heart. But this was different, this was her blood kin and Emily and Harold Granger knew there was a chance she might prefer her magical family more than her Muggle parents.

At the end of her first week in America, Hermione came down to breakfast to find all three of her aunts sitting at the table in the kitchen, which was rare because usually Phoebe and Paige were gone by 8 am to work while Piper waited for Hermione to begin their lessons. Piper usually went to work in the afternoons after Paige and Phoebe came home.

Hermione was immediately on alert, "good morning, what's going on?"

The sisters exchanged glances before it seemed Piper was silently elected as the speaker, "Hermione, there's something we need to tell you…about Prue and your, powers."

Hermione's brow crinkled as she got confused, "powers? Like my magic?"

"No…well sort of…okay, remember when I told you about Melinda Warren and the legacy she left behind before she was killed for being a witch?"

Hermione nodded, familiar with the tale but not a fan of it.

"Well, part of the legacy she gave to her descendants were specific, special powers which each Warren witch inherits at birth and is taught to use as she grows into her powers. Normally, these powers are ingrained into us at birth and, in Phoebe's case, in the womb…but with you…" Piper paused, not sure how to say the rest and luckily, Phoebe came to her rescue.

"Because you were born when Prue's powers were bound, your powers were also bound. When Grams died and our powers were released to us, it seems your magic remained bound. It wasn't until Prue died that your magic was released. But the powers you were supposed to inherit weren't released…yet. There's one more thing that has to happen before you can get the powers Prue's magic gave you. Your Warren powers."

Hermione was silent a moment as she took in the new information. The concept of special powers outside of the ability to use magic wasn't exactly foreign to her. After all, the Animagus ability, Apparating, Occlumency, and Legilimency, were all abilities she read about before ever attending Hogwarts. She wondered if the Warren Power she was supposed to inherit would be one of these.

"Okay, so…what has to happen and what power do I have?" Hermione asked after a bit of silence, curious now that she knew it wasn't something dire.

"Just a simple incantation but, as for the powers…" Piper shrugged, "we won't know until they are released and begin to manifest."

Hermione nodded, "Alright, so what _might_ they be?"

Paige decided to jump in, "it could be anything but given that Prue's powers were telekinesis and astral projection, I'm guessing it might be one of those."

Hermione sighed, realizing she wouldn't get more clarification than that right now, still there was another question on her mind. "So why are you telling me about this now? I've been here a week and Piper we've been talking about the Warren legacy this whole time so why today?"

Piper took a breath, "Because tonight is a full moon, and as Phoebe reminded me yesterday, midnight on a full moon is the best time the incantation can be read, and the powers released."

"It was actually how we, Prue, Piper and me, got our powers in the first place…even if we sort of stumbled into it." Phoebe added, a little chagrined as she remembered how naïve they all were back then and how resistant her sisters had been to being witches.

"So…tonight I read an incantation from the Book of Shadows and, what, I get my powers?"

The three sisters just nodded.

"And you all will show me how to use the new powers, right?"

"Of course, Hermione. We wouldn't leave you with this to figure it out on your own."

"Okay then, sounds like a plan. Would it be alright if I spent today by myself? I need some time to process it all."

"Of course, I'll be home all day if you have any questions. Phoebe and Paige have to go into work, but it should be short days for them both, right ladies?" Piper asked, wanting them all to be available in case Hermione needed them.

Both sisters agreed before they left the house for the morning.

Hermione retreated to her bedroom and pulled out a book she'd brought with her from home. She began to read but soon found her concentration wavering, so she put the book down and began to really think about what was about to happen that night. She was about to receive an ability she would have to learn how to use and she wondered if she would be allowed to use it at Hogwarts. There was so much about what she was learning that didn't quite fit with what she had learned so far at Hogwarts.

Hermione's mind went to the Book of Shadows. There was nothing like it at Hogwarts. There it was all textbooks and spellbooks in the restricted section, but here…the Book of Shadows was like a guiding light for the sisters. It was only for the Warren witches, now named Halliwell. No one else was able to know about it much less read it. Hermione felt honored to have been trusted with it.

* * *

Later that day, Hermione joined her aunts for a late lunch before they all went out for the day. Piper decided to join them as they toured the city, wanting to spend some time with her niece that didn't involve teaching her about the legacy she'd been born into.

After a day spent window shopping and enjoying the sights, Hermione and her aunts returned to the manor to rest and prepare. Hermione walked into the kitchen and was startled to see a man she'd never met sitting at the table feeding a baby boy.

The man turned towards her and he smiled. Hermione instantly felt safe and it confused her why that was, but she didn't have time to dwell on that as the man began to speak.

"Hi, you must be Hermione. I'm Leo, Piper's husband, and this is Wyatt."

Hermione smiled at him as she recognized the name Piper had told her when she'd explained about her husband Leo being away with their son for a trip.

"Hi. Yes, I am. Piper told me about you both. Welcome back."

Leo kept smiling, something about Hermione was hard not to smile about, he surmised it had something to do with her being Prue's daughter.

Piper entered the kitchen then, smiling when she saw her husband and son. She immediately went over and picked up Wyatt before giving Leo a quick kiss hello. Piper cooed a bit at her son, having missed him dearly while he was gone before she turned towards Hermione. "Hermione, come say hello to your cousin Wyatt."

Hermione stepped closer to the boy and she smiled when he looked her right in the eye and giggled at her. Hermione didn't have a lot of experience with babies, but she took that as a good sign, so she closed the distance and reached out a hand to him.

Wyatt reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand in a tight grip. He stared at her for a moment before they both disappeared in a shower of white orbs.

Before Leo or Piper could react, they were gone. They looked at each other before Piper said, "Leo, what happened? Find them." Piper was starting to panic and trying not to, she hadn't told Hermione about Wyatt's ability to orb.

Hermione was disoriented as her eyes adjusted after being blinded by a white light. When she could see, she found herself in the attic at the manor, holding Wyatt in her arms as he looked at her while waving a hand in the direction of the Book of Shadows. Hermione started to walk closer to the book and when she was close enough to touch it, Wyatt took the hand that had been waving around and placed it on Hermione's cheek as he looked her in the eyes. Something passed between them and Hermione figured this was his way of making sure she could be trusted.

Before too long, another flash of white appeared in the attic and Hermione looked over and saw Leo and Piper standing there, concern and relief evident on their faces.

"Um, what just happened? How did I end up in the attic with Wyatt?"

Piper walked closer to Hermione and took Wyatt from her. She kissed him on his forehead then passed him over to Leo. Piper then turned to Hermione and smiled, "There are beings in this world that...look after witches. They are a kind of guardian angel that watches over them and helps them whenever they are needed. Leo is one of these beings and they are called whitelighters."

Hermione looked over at Leo and Wyatt for a moment then turned back to Piper, "guardian angel?"

"Yes. Wyatt is half whitelighter, so he has the ability to orb, which is what he did when he brought you up here. It's how whitelighters travel when they need to go somewhere fast."

Hermione nodded, taking in the information but not completely processing it all. She turned towards Leo and Wyatt and, seeing their faces, she felt warm and safe again. Hermione figured that was a good sign, so she didn't question it too much.

After a few more moments of silence, Piper suggested they all go back downstairs, and she would start dinner. Leo and Wyatt headed off to the nursery because Wyatt needed a diaper change. Hermione went in search of Phoebe to maybe get some more information on what was happening at midnight, and Piper went to the kitchen to start dinner.

* * *

Hermione found Phoebe in the living room, watching television. She approached slowly, torn between not wanting to intrude on her aunt's time but also wanting to talk to her. Hermione had quickly realized that if she wanted straight forward answers, Phoebe was the most likely of her three aunts to provide them. Piper, as the oldest, seemed to weigh every word before she spoke as if she didn't want to say anything that would upset Hermione or damage the fragile bond they'd formed. Paige, being the newest sister and the only one who hadn't known Prue personally, usually didn't have much to offer beyond advice on using magic and making potions.

Phoebe seemed less controlled, less concerned about saying the wrong thing and more concerned about being honest about everything. Hermione wondered if, after losing Prue, Phoebe had realized that life was too short to worry about hiding the truth if it didn't hurt anyone to tell it.

Phoebe looked away from the television when a commercial came on and she smiled at her niece. "Hey kiddo, what's up?"

Hermione smiled at her aunt, she liked the way Phoebe talked to her as if they weren't that far apart in age and could meet on an even level. "Hey Phoebe, I just had some questions, but if this is a bad time…" Hermione trailed off as she gestured to the television.

Phoebe grabbed the remote and turned the television off, she wasn't watching anything important, it was just to pass the time until the ceremony later. "No, it's a great time. Come, sit down and tell your Aunt Phoebes what's bugging you?"

Hermione decided not to question Phoebe's turn of phrase and simply sat down on the couch. "I was wondering mostly about the ceremony later. I mean, it won't hurt, will it?"

Phoebe just kept smiling. "No, it won't hurt a bit. It's just a few words at the right time in the right place and, voila, you have your powers. Nothing to worry about."

Hermione let out a relieved breath, "Good. This morning, I didn't have time to ask but, can you explain all the potential powers I might inherit?"

Phoebe took a moment to think about all the powers they had discovered as their own initial powers had grown. "I can try but Piper is usually better at keeping track of that stuff but here goes. So, we will start with Prue's powers since those are the most likely ones you will inherit since you are her daughter. Prue had the power of telekinesis, at first. It started with her being able to move things with her mind. Eventually, it evolved into using her hands to move things as well. I think it was a year or two before she developed the ability to astral project, but when she did it was by accident that we found out about it." Phoebe paused as she remembered that time, with Prue's rebel biker boyfriend and crashing Piper's wedding. "Anyway, she also took martial arts classes and became a very good fighter, for situations when her powers wouldn't or couldn't be used or be handy. Usually, when there are too many witnesses around to use magic."

Hermione nodded, listening intently as Phoebe talked about her birth mom. Hermione desperately wished she had known Prue when she was still alive. Talking to her ghost wasn't the same but it was better than nothing.

Phoebe's voice took on a distant, almost wistful tone as she said, "of the three of us, she was the strongest and most powerful witch. She was the biggest threat to the demons and warlocks that came after us."

In the silence that followed, Hermione could feel how much Phoebe missed her big sister and she felt her eyes tearing up as she witnessed Phoebe's sadness.

After a few more moments of silence as Phoebe lost herself in her memories of Prue, Phoebe shook her head and looked back at Hermione. "Sorry, I got lost for a moment. Where was I? Oh yeah, the powers. Piper is next and her power was initially to freeze time. She could freeze time and everyone around her…well except us. Good witches like us don't freeze. It comes in handy when you need to make a fast getaway or stop a fireball from killing you. Eventually, her power evolved into also being able to blow the bad guys up. Made for quick and easy clean up of dead demons. So far, that's the extent of her powers but we're always growing and evolving with our powers so, who knows?"

Hermione took it all in, deciding not to interrupt Phoebe when she changed to subject back to the powers without acknowledging her trip into her memories of Prue.

"What about your powers Phoebe?" Hermione was curious about Phoebe's powers since so far the ability to freeze time and move objects with her mind were pretty cool, she could only imagine what Phoebe's powers were.

Phoebe frowned for a moment as she remembered complaining about her power to Melinda Warren herself when they brought their ancestor back from the past to help them defeat Matthew Tate. Melinda's explanation was something Phoebe would always treasure, even if she wasn't ready to share it with anyone yet. "Me? I have the power of premonition. I can see the future and sometimes even the past if it helps the present or immediate future. I also just learned how to levitate, wanna see?"

Hermione nodded, curious about how Phoebe would levitate and if she needed a broom or a spell.

Phoebe just grinned as she hovered over the couch, still in sitting position. She looked down at her niece and lowered her hand, "Wanna join me?"

Hermione hesitantly placed her hand in Phoebe's and soon felt herself being levitated off the couch until she was hovering next to her. It felt, weird but still oddly safe and somehow…right. Hermione giggled, "as my friend Ron would say, this is wicked!"

Phoebe laughed with her and they hovered a while longer before she finally lowered them carefully back to the couch. "Pretty cool huh?"

Hermione nodded, even with not being a fan of flying, she could see the benefit of being able to levitate without needing a spell or a broom.

After a few moments, Phoebe spoke again, "That just leaves Paige. She has more complicated powers because of who her father was and how he contributed to her magic."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Prue, Piper and me, we had a mortal father…I think the word you used once was 'muggle'?" At Hermione's nod, Phoebe continued, "yeah, so he didn't really have anything of magic to add so we just got our magic from our mom. Paige's father was actually our mom's whitelighter—did Piper tell you about whitelighters—" Another nod, "ok, good. So, mom's whitelighter was named Sam and he and mom fell in love after she and my dad were divorced. They had a baby but back then, it wasn't allowed for witches and whitelighters to become romantically involved so they put the baby, Paige, up for adoption to keep her safe. So, you see, Paige has the Warren power of telekinesis, but it's combined with her ability to orb. She uses her orbs to move things with her mind."

Hermione took a moment to process this new information. She had known, and guessed, from what Darryl and the aunts had told her that Paige was a relatively new addition to the family but this was the first time she had heard the whole story and even now, she figured big chunks were missing such as how they even found out about Paige and when but those questions would be for another time, if ever.

Phoebe, for her part, knew that this was a lot of information to process so she sat in silence and let Hermione think it through. She had already learned that Hermione was a thinker. She needed to fully analyze and understand a situation before she offered her opinion. Phoebe admired that in one so young, knowing that sometimes youth meant impulsiveness. She was glad, given all the power Hermione had and was sure to inherit more of after tonight, that her niece wasn't the type to act first and think later. It would serve her well when learning to master whatever new power she inherited from her Warren DNA.

* * *

A few hours later, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Hermione were gathered in the attic to begin the ceremony. Paige placed and lit the white candles in the center of the room around the small round rug and lit them. Phoebe stood next to Hermione, holding her hand as Piper prepared the incantation.

Hermione was nervous but having Phoebe next to her was helping with her nerves. She hoped she didn't do the incantation wrong and that it went off without any problems. She didn't know what she would do if she messed this up.

Piper looked over at Hermione and she smiled as she prepared her final surprise before the ceremony. Quietly, she said the words that would summon Prue from the afterlife to witness her daughter's initiation into the Warren line of witches.

Hermione was startled but happily so when she saw the telltale white lights that preceded the arrival of her birth mother, Prue. Hermione stepped closer to the circle of candles and smiled at Prue. They spoke for a few moments before Piper cleared her throat.

"It's almost time Hermione. Here," Piper leaned closer and handed Hermione the paper with the incantation on it. Hermione just had to read the words out loud at the stroke of midnight and her powers would be unlocked.

Hermione glanced at the clock on the wall and saw she had fifteen seconds until midnight. She looked around the room at her aunts and her mother and she smiled as she thought about becoming even more connected to them when her powers were unlocked.

As the clock struck midnight, Hermione lifted the paper and began reciting the incantation:

_"Hear now the words of the witches,_

_the secrets we hid in the night._

_The oldest of Gods are invoked here,_

_the great work of Magic is sought._

_In this night and in this hour,_

_I call upon the Ancient Power!_

_Come to me, I call you near,_

_come to me and settle here._

_I want the power! Give me the power!"_

Hermione's voice rang clear and true as she spoke and when she was finished, she stood in the center of the room, only a few feet away from Prue, and waited.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only five minutes, there was a bright white light that filled the attic for a few moments before it faded away. Hermione took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dark after the bright light and she noticed everything looked the same as it did before. She was a little disappointed as she asked, "did it work?"

The sisters exchanged looks before Prue was the one who spoke up. "I think it did, but it will take some time for your new power to manifest." Prue looked over at Phoebe and Piper, "remember it took a while after Phoebe did the incantation that first time for us to get our powers."

Both sisters nodded, though it was Phoebe who said, "that's true but it was only a few hours. By the end of the day, we all had our powers so it should be the same for Hermione, right?"

Before Prue could answer, there was another glow of light and Grams appeared. She smiled at Hermione and said, "Not to worry my dear, it will happen, just give it some time. In the meantime, it's getting late and Prue's time is almost up, so off to bed with you all and we'll see what tomorrow brings."

With that, both Prue and Grams vanished, and Hermione and her aunts made their way down to the bedrooms. Sleep was calling them all and they silently agreed to wait until morning to test Hermione's new power…whatever it may be.

* * *

**AN2: Well there it is...I hope it didn't disappoint. The next chapter will be all about Hermione's new power and how she handles it and learns to use it. I don't know how long it will take me to get it written to my satisfaction but I hope this chapter will ease the wait. I promise I won't forget about this story and I will finish it. It just might take a while and end up being a long story. **

**Krista**


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